Blowguns and Bouncing Pigs: Traditional Toymaking: The Foxfire Americana Library (6) Read online

  It takes about four hours to make a whole doll. The men don’t take as long to make as the women because the women have on pantaloons, bonnets, and aprons. The hair is fake fur that I buy at a fabric shop. Some people have used cotton but it doesn’t look quite as real. The face will stay that way for at least four years. Until the apple dries, I never know whether it is going to be a man or a woman. I’ve had to throw away lots of heads. They look perfect when I carve them, but they dry crooked. You can’t make young people out of the apples because their faces wrinkle as they dry.

  ILLUSTRATION 34 Margaret strings several apples on a thick thread with a carpet needle, separating them by twisting a small stick under each one. During extremely damp weather, she may first dry them in her gas oven for about twenty-four hours. She turns the heat on a low setting for about ten minutes, then turns it off, the only heat being from the oven’s pilot light. She sometimes turns the oven on low again for about ten minutes about twelve hours later, but during this time, the door is not opened. Even though the apples may be dried in the oven first, they are still hung up until Margaret is ready to use them.

  ILLUSTRATION 35 To make the body, Margaret uses 20-gauge wire. She cuts the wire 24″ long, then doubles it. The wire is twisted together from the top for 6″. To make the arms, a 10″ length of wire is inserted where Margaret’s right thumb is (about 3″ from the top) and is twisted around the body wire several times to hold it securely.

  ILLUSTRATION 36

  Bonnet Crown: Gather ½″ from edge along dotted lines to fit straight edge of bonnet brim. Sew to bonnet brim at ½″ seam. Make a tie for the bonnet by cutting a strip 1″ wide by 17″ long. Fold together lengthwise and turn under edges. Make a casing for the tie to go through by turning under the straight edge of the bonnet crown about 3/4″ from the edge.

  Bonnet Brim: Cut two. Sew right sides together along curved edges and turn. Sew to bonnet crown along gathered edge.

  Lady’s Bloomers: The pattern allows for ¼″ seams to sew the pieces together and for a ½″ hem at bottom of legs and at waist. The bloomers are stitched to the stuffed “body” at the waist.

  Body: Use one piece of material folded over and sewn together at the top and bottom with ¼″ seams. The 4½″ side is left open until the wires for the legs are inserted through notches cut at the bottom of the body and neck and arm wires are pushed through the notches at the top. The big dots on the pattern indicate places to cut the notches.

  After wires are all inserted, a wad of foam rubber, cotton, or any other type of stuffing is pushed into the case and the open side is stitched up with needle and thread.

  Men’s Overalls: Cut two. For the back of the overalls, cut the material on the dotted line and put in a ½″ hem there. The pattern allows for ¼″ seams and ½″ hems on the pants legs.

  Men’s Shirt: The pattern allows for ¼″ seams and ½″ hems for the sleeves. Only the tiny notch is needed for the neck opening. The pattern is cut on the fold of the material, so there is no seam across the shoulders.

  Straps for Pants: Cut two. Fold each one in half lengthwise and turn under the edges and hem. Then tack the straps on with needle and thread in front and back just like overall galluses.

  Lady’s Dress: The pattern allows for ¼″ seams down the sides and ½″ hems at sleeves and lower skirt. The dotted line indicates waist, and an apron or belt is placed here and gathers adjusted. No other gathering is necessary. The pattern is cut on the fold of the material, so there is no seam across the shoulders.

  ILLUSTRATION 37 Apron: Gather waist along dotted lines to about 3½″. Turn under a ½″ hem on both sides and at the bottom.

  Make a sash for the apron by cutting a strip of material 1½″ wide and 17″ long. Fold in half lengthwise and turn the ends and edges under with ¼″ seams. Sew the sash to the apron, matching the center of the gathered apron to the center of the sash and leaving about 7″ on each end to be tied.

  The apron will be tied around the waist of the dress, indicated by a dotted line on pattern piece J.

  For the wire forming the body:

  1. A 24″ length of wire is doubled and twisted for about 6″, then spread to make the two legs.

  2. A 10″ length of wire is inserted about 3″ from the top for the arms.

  3. The 3″ loop of wire above the arms is cut so that it can be separated into a 2″ and a 4″ length to attach the head.

  ILLUSTRATION 38 Margaret cuts five tiny slits in a pillowcase “sort of thing” for the legs, arms, and neck. It measures 4½″ by ½″ doubled. She slips the wire through the holes, then stuffs the body with foam rubber or other material. She sews up the open side with a needle and thread.

  ILLUSTRATION 39 Mrs. Owens makes the dolls’ clothes on a sewing machine. She turns the clothes right side out just before dressing the doll, and at that time cuts out a tiny notch for the neck wire to slide through (see pattern pieces).

  ILLUSTRATION 40 She then pulls the shirt down over the top part of the body and runs the arm wires out through the sleeves. Then she pulls the overalls up over the body and sews the galluses (or straps) into place. The papier-mâché hands and feet are then pushed onto the arm and leg wires and glued on with Elmer’s glue. The doll is left to sit for five to ten minutes so that the glue will dry completely.

  To make papier-mâché hands and feet, use one-half cup of water to one table-spoon of flour. Use about four sections of toilet paper for the hands and five for the feet. Before wetting the paper in the flour mixture, fold and refold until the shape of a hand (or foot) is made. Cut and shape the hand or foot and then wet thoroughly. Keep shaping while in the flour mixture and then squeeze the water out. Lay on cookie sheet and dry overnight in an oven heated by the pilot light or out in the open for about two days.

  ILLUSTRATION 41 The loop of wire that will hold the head is then cut so that one end is 4″ long and the other end 2″ long. The 4″ piece is run up through the core of the applehead and folded down the back of the head. The 2″ piece is brought up behind the head and twisted with the longer piece to hold the head securely in place. This method also allows for the head to be replaced if it is damaged by insects or rodents. To prevent insects from getting into the applehead, Margaret inserts an insect repellent into the core. She does not know of anything that will prevent rodents from eating the dried apples.

  ILLUSTRATION 42 Matching cucumber seeds are glued in for eyes and black dots painted on the seeds with poster paint. Eyebrows are made by gluing small pieces of fake fur over the eyes, and a small piece of fake fur is cut out and glued on for hair.

  ILLUSTRATION 43 The hair is brushed and cut to the right length. To hold the hair in place, Mrs. Owens uses spray starch or hair spray. She cuts out a small neckerchief and ties it around the man’s neck as a finishing touch. Here is a rear view of the doll when the haircut is finished.

  ILLUSTRATION 44 After the doll is completed, Mrs. Owens decides on an arrangement and wires the doll to a log or stool or something else on the stand that will hold it securely in whatever position it looks natural. Mr. Owens made the fiddle; the spinning wheel was purchased from a shop; the dough bowl is half a walnut shell; and the biscuit dough is real dough sprayed with insect repellent.

  Cucumber Dolls

  ILLUSTRATION 45 Any cucumber will do, but Florence prefers to use a long one, 10″ or more. The greener it is, the better. Cut about 1″ off the bottom end of the cucumber, and, using a knife, scrape out the seeds and pulp to the point where you plan to cut the mouth. Then cut a notch where you want the mouth, making sure you cut through to where it is hollowed out. Using the point of the knife, cut out the eyes and nose, and stick small pebbles in the eyeholes to make them stand out more.

  FLORENCE BROOKS: I’ll make you a cucumber doll like me an’ my sister, Beulah, used t’ play with. You need a knife, a cucumber, scissors, some cloth, a needle, and a safety pin. We’d pin a diaper on them, and make a “dress” out of a square of cloth, fold a hem, gather it [with a needle and t
hread], and tie it around its neck. We used t’ have a lotta fun playing with those things. We used t’ make ’em t’ feed ’em. [The doll is hollowed out, so the “food” goes right through.] We made clay mud with water, poured it in ’em, and then the diaper was in a mess. We’d take it off and change it. We never fed it anything else. Milk would have gone down it, but we was in the Depression and we didn’t have enough of that. We’d get mountain moss off a log, make ’em a bed, put ’em in the bed. We didn’t put hair on it, but you know if we’d thought of it, we could a’got corn silks and made ’em some hair. The doll wouldn’t last more than a day or two, because drunkards [fruit flies] would get after it.

  ILLUSTRATION 46 To make the diaper, take a piece of cloth about 6″ square and fold in half diagonally and pin it on as you would any diaper.

  ILLUSTRATION 47 To fashion the dress (really a skirt), use a piece of material about 10″ square. Fold down the waistband, and gather it with a needle and thread.

  ILLUSTRATION 48 Tie the dress around the “neck” of the doll using the ends of the thread you gathered the waistband with. The doll is now finished.

  I don’t know of anybody ever doing that but me and my sister, Beulah. She was four years older than me but she had to play with me or else.

  Other Dolls

  HARRIET ECHOLS: We had Raggedy Ann dolls, and my older sister made dolls; my father wouldn’t buy dolls. Back then people had to work for a living and Dad didn’t believe in foolishness, and so we didn’t have any toys. My older sister made my first doll and I guess I was eight or ten years old. We made rag dolls and cornshuck dolls, and then we learned to do potato heads. You take potatoes and make a doll. You got one big potato and get sticks and make its legs. Then you get a smaller potato and make its head, and find sticks for his arms. A potato will last a long time.

  ETHEL CORN: Mama used to make dolls and then you could also get rag dolls in the stores. Then they went to making dolls with just their heads filled, and then sleepy dolls. I was a pretty good-sized young’un before I ever saw any sleepy dolls. There weren’t many toys back when I was growing up.

  I can remember my first doll. They had just come out with what they called the “Dutch Doll.” The body would be stuffed with straw, but the arms and legs and faces would be delft. My sister and I had sleepy dolls, and mine wouldn’t go to sleep. Mel [my brother] was always doing something, and he told me to take my doll and hit it over the plow handle and it would go to sleep. I did, and it broke that doll’s head all to pieces. It was made out of the same thing that cups and saucers were made of.

  We’d cut [doll clothes] like we’d cut dresses for a baby, and after I got older, that was the way I learned to cut and sew.

  BERTHA DOCKINS: At Christmas usually Mother would make rag dolls for us. We used to have these old black stockings and made rag dolls from them. We’d take a needle and some white thread, and make their eyes and nose and mouth. We stuffed them with bran or something like that.

  MRS. E. H. BROWN: The only toy I ever owned in my life was an old doll. I played with that thing, y’know, and I’d worn out several dresses, and it had to have more dresses made. You had to make [the body], and fit it to that little head. That’s all there was. Now that was Pard—that was her name. That was my partner, y’know, and I called her Pard.

  LOLA CANNON: Most times [when we made rag dolls] we took a little knob of cotton and packed it tightly in a cloth, and wound it around for its neck. Then we rolled another roll and fastened it to that for arms. Sometimes we made legs the same way. But most times we just made heads and arms and let them have a long dress.

  I had one doll that was big enough to wear my baby clothes. It was too big for me really, but they wanted me to have it. I didn’t have china dolls. Some of the neighbors’ children did. They were more expensive. Later on I had bought dolls—with papier-mâché heads and legs and everything—but there weren’t the commercial toys available in those days that there are today.

  NANNIE ANN SANDERS: We had cornshuck dolls [see Foxfire 3, p. 453], apple-head dolls, and just regular old rag dolls. The heads for the apple-head dolls were made from apples that we would shrink and make them look like an old person. Our rag dolls were made out of regular cloth and stuffed with bran left over from where you sifted corn meal. For the face we would just mark ’em with a pencil.

  MRS. RAE SHOOK: I guess rag dolls were about the first toys. They were made out of wool and old stockings. Their faces were made from buttons and black markings. We’d make the clothes for them.

  BLANCHE HARKINS: We made our rag dolls out of white flour sacks stuffed with rags. Arms and legs were made out of rags and were straight. Then we would take fire coals and make the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, ears, and hair.

  VELER MARCUS: All I had to play with was rag dolls that Mama made for us. Way back then we enjoyed that. We hung onto that one doll because Mama just made us one a year. The best I can remember, Mama would cut the cloth out and stuff the arms and legs with old cloth rags, then sew it. I can’t remember exactly how she fixed it to get the leg shaped up. She embroidered the eyebrows a little—the best she could. The eyes, nose, mouth were made of thread. I don’t believe it had any ears.

  HATTIE KENNY: I was fifteen years old before I ever had a doll bought out of a store. We made our dolls out of wool cloth, unless we spun some cotton cloth and made them. We made the faces from wool thread—eyes, nose, hair, mouth. And we made dresses for them.

  HELEN JUSTICE: We would use just white material to make our dolls with. We would take a pencil to draw the face. Sometimes we would even make a cap for them.

  MRS. TOM MACDOWELL: Our dolls were just big, long rocks. We’d get a long rock and we’d say, “Oh I’m just so tired of carrying my baby,” just like we’d heard women say.

  ILLUSTRATION 49 Stanley demonstrating how a dumb bell would be used if the hide and string were in place.

  Dumb Bell

  STANLEY HICKS: Take a section of a hollow log and tack a piece of hide over one end. Then punch a small hole in the center of the hide. Then take a long string and tie a knot in one end and feed the string through the hole in the hide so that the knot catches against the outside of the hole and the string comes through the log and out the other end. Then wax the end of the string with beeswax. When you pull against the waxed part of the string it makes a sound just like a bull a’bellering. There ain’t as many haint stories in the mountains as there used to be. That’s because there ain’t as many dumb bells being made!

  Dumb Bull or Bull Roarer or Buzzer

  ETHEL CORN: Bill Lamb, my uncle, was bad to make things. He’d make what they called the “dumb bull.” It was made in a way that when you whizzed it around, it would make an awful racket. He’d take a plank and whittle it down thin [about ten inches long by three inches wide] and sharpen the edges in some way, and bore a hole in one end. You’d attach a string to it [about five feet long], and whirl it around, and it’d make the awfulest racket you ever heard.

  EDD HODGINS: We just called it a buzzer. I’ve made a lot of them. Take a flat piece of this wood and tie a string to it and tie that to a stick and [swing it around and] it’ll buzz. I reckon that string a’twistin’ll make it roar. It don’t take but three minutes to make one. I’ve made them and about scared the dogs to death!

  BUCK CARVER: John Dillard taught me how to make a dumb bull. Back in those days when I was a boy nearly anybody could make them, because we learned lots more from each other then than they do this day and time. If one person learned something, he was always tickled and glad to show it to somebody else.

  Bill Lamb was a man I scared to death with a dumb bull. I lived right across the river from him in the old Bill Lamb House. I got to slinging that thing around and it was howling and making noise. Bill was going to a Woodmen of the World meeting. He had gotten up the river a ways and ran back to the house. There was an old rail fence coming down the ridge there. He sat down on that fence for a while. Then he got some rocks and ran up to the
house and [his wife] opened the door for him, and after he got safe in the house, he threw his rocks back out in the yard!

  The next time he heard the noise he and his wife and children were in the field plowing and weeding corn. Bill sent them to the house and came back out with his shotgun. His wife got to looking off the back porch and saw me and John Dillard down there and told Bill that every time she heard the noise John or my arm was swinging around. So he walked around back behind us and saw that it was a dumb bull. He had never heard one before.

  The last one I made was in 1929 to scare someone with, but I slung it a few times and it burst. They burst real easy if you hit them on the ground or against a tree limb.

  The way you swing the dumb bull is how to make it work. I find the easiest way to do it is make an X motion with your arm.

  ILLUSTRATION 50 Buck with the finished propeller he whittled for the dumb bull.

  ILLUSTRATION 51 Linda Ledford trying out the finished toy.

  Fluttermill

  One of Lawton Brooks’ favorite childhood toys was the fluttermill. Tinker McCoy, Linda Ledford, and Richard Henslee spent a rainy day with him making one, and, because of the rain, they didn’t get to set it up in the creek as they had hoped they would be able to do. Lawton was able to show them how it worked with the use of an outside faucet, though, and he described the things he and his friends used to do with them.